Food origins (7-11 Years) - Food A Fact Of Life

Activity 1 - Food is grown in different ways all around the world.

Task the children to find out how different food is produced around the world. Allocate the food below to pairs or small groups of children to research:

Watercress
Rice
Sugar
Watermelon
Lemons

Activity 2 - Food is reared or caught.

Using the Down on the farm presentation, go through the presentation, focusing on the animals farmed for our food. Ask children to complete the Down on the farm worksheet.

Highlight the importance of farmers looking after the animals, countryside and maintaining safety. Introduce children to the Red Tractor mark. Challenge children to learn more about the mark using the Red Tractor worksheet. Create a display of food packaging with the Red Tractor logo. You may also wish to look at the importance of keeping animals safe and healthy – use the Looking after animals worksheet.

Activity 3 - Climate and conditions affect when and where food is produced.

Talk to the children about the seasonality of different food, particularly fruit and vegetables, but also meat and dairy products. In the UK there are four main seasons: winter, spring, summer and autumn which occur throughout the year. At these times, certain foods can be planted, grown and harvested.

Look at what is available now throughout the UK. Look at the Seasons presentation.

Question the children:

Why do we get different foods at different times of the year? (Because the weather affects what can be produced.)
Can we get food which is not in season? (Yes.)
Can you give any examples? (Fresh strawberries in the winter.)
Where does this food come from? (Some food is grown in hot houses or green houses in this country and some food is grown or produced abroad and sent to the UK.)

Consolidate the work by looking at the Eat the seasons presentation. Explore what is meant by seasonal foods – what are the benefits of consuming seasonal foods?

Use the Seasonal fruit and vegetables worksheet to focus on which foods are in season from the Fruit and vegetables food group. Alternatively, use the Seasonal food worksheet – explore six foods and discuss when these are in season during the year.

Split the class into groups and allocate different groups of children a season and instruct them to use the internet and books to find out what food is available in that season, in the UK, e.g. What is produced when, what conditions different foods need in order to be produced.

In their groups, get the children to create a poster (possibly based around a UK map) indicating what is available in the UK during their given season.

Further activities

Try to visit a local farm or farm shop to acquire some seasonal produce to make a seasonal dish.
Cook a dish with seasonal ingredients.
As part of a food themed assembly, use the Down on the farm presentation to review farming and looking after the countryside, crops and animals. Look at the Red Tractor mark and discuss what it stands for. Have the children seen the mark before?

Reviewed 28.11.23